Deb Adamson: Keep moving despite winter weather

Friday

Nov 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 28, 2008 at 8:03 AM

Winter doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks, but you could have fooled me. A recent unseasonable cold snap was enough to keep Zach and me peering outdoors through frosty windowpanes and feeling the chill underfoot in this drafty old house.

Deb Adamson

Winter doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks, but you could have fooled me. A recent unseasonable cold snap was enough to keep Zach and me peering outdoors through frosty windowpanes and feeling the chill underfoot in this drafty old house.

There were a couple of days we didn’t even take the initiative to dress warmly and brave the cold for our usual exercise breaks, leaving both of us feeling house-bound and antsy. Between lessons, we both need fresh air -- he more than me because it renews his focusing ability.

But one thing is certain; we won’t totally ditch our exercise routine no matter what the winter weather has to offer. It’s part of a lifestyle that my husband and I strive to impart on Zach; that activity is key in physical as well as mental well-being.

It’s nothing we really teach as part of a formal physical education program, it’s just what he observes around here; his dad setting out in 20 degree weather for a lengthy bike ride and his mom doing the same on foot; jogging and putting in a few miles each week. Sometimes we gripe about it, reluctantly putting in the time but, as the Nike advertisement says, we mostly “just do it.”

From the time I was really small, I can recall my own parents doing the same. In fact, we all got moving. No one ever spoke of exercise benefits; it was just our family life -- like eating dinner together at night and cleaning up after ourselves. No words, just actions. And really, aren’t the unspoken lessons often times the ones that really soak in?

There are multitudes of studies about American youth being sedentary and overweight. A recent report even featured children whose arteries resembled those of a 45 year-old. Extraordinary efforts are made, even by the federal government encouraging school-based activities that reward kids for physical aptitude. It’s obviously an imperative health issue requiring widespread national attention. But moreover, there’s an obligation for families just like ours to persistently fight off the urge to hibernate, bundle up and get our children outdoors and moving.

Deb Adamson, who lives in Connecticut, is a home school mom who writes about the joys, trials and adventures of days teaching and learning with her 7-year-old son. She can be reached at debadamson@comcast.net.